Acute effects of hemp protein consumption on glycemic and satiety control: results of 2 randomized crossover trials.

Research investigating hemp protein consumption on glycemic response is limited. The effects of hemp protein consumption on blood glucose (BG), insulin, and satiety compared with soybean protein and a carbohydrate control were examined. Two acute randomized repeated-measures crossover experiments were conducted. In both, participants consumed the following isocaloric treatments: 40 g of hemp protein (hemp40), 20 g of hemp protein (hemp20), 40 g of soybean protein (soy40), 20 g of soybean protein (soy20), and a carbohydrate control. In experiments 1 (n = 27) and 2 (n = 16), appetite and BG were measured before (0-60 min, pre-pizza) and after a pizza meal (80-200 min, post-pizza). In experiment 1, food intake was measured at 60 min by ad libitum meal; in experiment 2 a fixed meal was provided (based on body weight) and insulin was measured pre-pizza and post-pizza. In both experiments, BG response was affected by treatment (p < 0.01), time (p < 0.001) and time-by-treatment (p < 0.001) from 0-200 min. Protein treatments lowered 0-60-min BG overall mean and area under the curve compared with control (p < 0.05) dose-dependently. In experiment 2, hemp40 and soy40 lowered (p < 0.05) overall mean insulin concentrations compared with hemp20, soy20, and control pre-meal. Results suggest that hemp protein, like soybean, dose-dependently lowers postprandial BG and insulin concentrations compared with a carbohydrate control. Clinical trial registry: NCT02366598 (experiment 1) and NCT02458027 (experiment 2). Novelty: Hemp protein concentrate dose-dependently leads to lower postprandial BG response compared with a carbohydrate control. No differences were seen between hemp and soy protein.

The genetics of Cannabis-genomic variations of key synthases and their effect on cannabinoid content.

Despite being a controversial crop, Cannabis sativa L. has a long history of cultivation throughout the world. Following recent legalization in Canada, Cannabis is emerging as an important plant for both medicinal and recreational purposes. Recent progress in genome sequencing of both cannabis and hemp varieties allow for systematic analysis of genes coding for enzymes involved in the cannabinoid biosynthesis pathway. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the coding regions of cannabinoid synthases play an important role in determining plant chemotype. Deep understanding of how these variants affect enzyme activity and accumulation of cannabinoids will allow breeding of novel cultivars with desirable cannabinoid profiles. Here we present a short overview of the major cannabinoid synthases and present the data on the analysis of their genetic variants and their effect on cannabinoid content using several in-house sequenced Cannabis cultivars.

Endophytes of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivars: identification of culturable bacteria and fungi in leaves, petioles, and seeds.

Plant endophytes are a group of microorganisms that reside asymptomatically within the healthy living tissue. The diversity and molecular and biochemical characterization of industrial hemp-associated endophytes have not been previously studied. This study explored the abundance and diversity of culturable endophytes residing in petioles, leaves, and seeds of three industrial hemp cultivars, and examined their biochemical attributes and antifungal potential. A total of 134 bacterial and 53 fungal strains were isolated from cultivars Anka, CRS-1, and Yvonne. The number of bacterial isolates was similarly distributed among the cultivars, with the majority recovered from petiole tissue. Most fungal strains originated from leaf tissue of cultivar Anka. Molecular and phylogenetic analyses grouped the endophytes into 18 bacterial and 13 fungal taxa, respectively. The most abundant bacterial genera were Pseudomonas, Pantoea, and Bacillus, and the fungal genera were Aureobasidium, Alternaria, and Cochliobolus. The presence of siderophores, cellulase production, and phosphorus solubilization were the main biochemical traits. In proof-of-concept experiments, re-inoculation of tomato roots with some endophytes confirmed their migration to aerial tissues of the plant. Taken together, this study demonstrates that industrial hemp harbours a diversity of microbial endophytes, some of which could be used in growth promotion and (or) in biological control designed experiments.